Simple Joys
by Ria Sakazaki
Summary: OT5 GALORE!KYONIISAN IS WHAT? PLEASE REVIEW! Any reviews accepted....
1. Look at this photograph

Author: Ria Sakazaki

Pairing: TezuRyoAtoFujiSan

Genre: Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own POT….as much I want to

A/N: I do hope I succeed in this one! Mwahehehehehehhe! I like OT5 very much so I decided to make this. This will have a little crossover from Striker: Hungry Heart, SlamDunk and a tiny bit from Angelic Layer, just to establish the foundation of the story. I hope you like this.

Summary: Ryoma's childhood love arrives, almost shattering their already-complicated relationship…or would it? Ryoma and his koibitos will soon learn how to appreciate simple joys….and of course, not to assume too much….

PLEASE REVIEW!

Note: "" for dialogs and _'' for thoughts and flashbacks _and '' for SF

Ryoma is busy scanning his notes for his psychology test. It was a pretty normal day for him so far since none of his lovers tried to jump on him which was ironic since they've been doing that for the past 8 years. He pleaded that they allow him to study for a day since his finals is just a week away. As he scanned his thick Atkinsons text book, a picture was blown away by the gentle wind. Ryoma's eyes followed the picture as it flew towards Fuji who was busy scanning a magazine for ideas for his next project.

"Hey." Fuji said when the picture landed on his lap. This got the attention of their other lovers who were busy doing their thing; Tezuka who was reading another book again, Atobe who was reviewing the latest FS from his company and Sanada who was busy playing Heroes in their PC.

"Something wrong Syusuke?" Atobe asked without looking up. Ryoma stood up and went up to Fuji. "That's mine." A pair of golden eyes blinked a couple of times. "Wow….will you look at this?" Fuji flashed his swoon-worthy smile at Ryoma. "Mine." Ryoma insisted, reaching out o the photo but Fuji's fingers are glued to the photo.

"Saa…..be patient." Fuji swatted Ryoma's hands. "Aren't you supposed to be studying for your finals? You should take the test seriously since you are already an incoming third year." Fuji taunted as he strode away. Ryoma pouted. "Give that back." Ryoma followed him. Fuji flopped down next to Tezuka. "We promised not to bother him Syusuke." Tezuka told him.

"I'm not bothering him. I just was to take a good look at this picture." Fuji replied. He opened his eyes and studied the photo in his hands. From the looks of it, it's already old yet the colors didn't fade away. Fuji immediately recognized the toddler Ryoma who was in the middle, mouth opened for a big smile and a noticeable blush on his cheeks and Nanako-san who was sitting next to him with a sweet smile on her face. Fuji's eyes were glued to the three other kids in the picture was well. There were two boys, the younger one was sitting next to Ryoma holding a soccer ball and the other was standing behind them. The last one was a very pretty girl who was hugging Ryoma.

"Give that back." Ryoma's voice broke his concentration. Fuji looked up and saw Ryoma pouting in front of him. "Maa Ryoma…..don't be selfish. Hey guys! Come here, Ryo-kun looks sooo adorable in this picture." Fuji said. "Why you…." Ryoma fumed and tried to wrestle the photo out of Fuji's hand but Tezuka already has it. Not a second later, Sanada and Atobe are already sitting next to his buchou, staring at the photo.

"I never thought the brat can smile like this." Atobe said while glancing at Ryoma then back to the photo. "True…and there's Nanako-nee-san." Sanada agreed while pointing at the photo. Tezuka's lips just curved up little while quietly staring at the picture,

"Give that back…" Ryoma stomped his feet. "Who are the rest? I see Nanako-nee-san there but…" Fuji started but Ryoma cut him off.

"None of your business." Ryoma snapped before stomping back to his study table a grumpily scanned his notes again. The four just started at him in surprise. Silence fell amongst them for a few seconds. Finally….Ryoma sighed and closed the book he was holding. He spun around on this chair and faced the seriously looks on his koibitos,

"They're my cousins." He said. The heavy aura looming inside the room was lifted as Tezuka stood up and led Ryoma to sit with them on the bed. "Tell us about them." He said gently. "Yeah…and you have to take your break from studying as well." Sanada added. "Kunimitsu….Gen-san…." Ryoma stammered. He sat on the bed and stared at the picture.

"This picture was taken 16 years ago back when I was still in America. Nana-san was with us to spend the summer break so oyaji decided to take us to a park." Ryoma started. Memories came flooding back into his head. "Who are the boys?" Atobe asked. "The one sitting next to me is Kyo-nii-chan. the other is his older brother, Saisuke-nii-chan. we're cousins while virtue of marriage." Ryoma answered. Actually….he's already getting dizzy from the sudden flood of memory that came to him.

'_Nee Ma-chan, promise me you'll be a better tennis player ok?' 'Of course he will! He will be better than Terrence. Right Ryo-kun?'_

"Ryo-kun, daijobou?" Fuji asked. "I'm fine." He replied. Fuji didn't miss the sudden gloom in their young lover's eyes.

"And the girl?" Tezuka suddenly asked. Ryoma looked up. "Who?" he asked. "The girl who's hugging you." The bespectacled young man asked. Ryoma stared back at the picture, staring at the familiar face. He felt a knife invisibly struck his heart.

'_Why can't nee-chan come to my birthday?' Ryoma asked. The seven year-old boy pouted. 'You're Sandra-nee-chan is sick. But she sent you this gift and….._

"Ryoma?" Sanada tapped his shoulders gently, bringing Ryoma back to reality. Ryoma stared at the worried faces before him then back to the photo. "She's my Cassandra-nee-chan." Ryoma whispered. "Who?" Atobe asked again. "She's my Sandra-nee-chan…." Ryoma took the picture and started to walk away from them, "she's the only girl I've ever loved…" with this he went out of their huge bedroom. He left his four lovers dumbfounded.

**Later that afternoon…**

Nanako picked up the phone by the time it rang for the third time. As usual, her lazy uncle is busy reading his porn magazines again.

"Moshi!" Nanako greeted. She could here three other voices in the background.

"Nanako-san…" Fuji spoke up.

"Fuji-san! How are you?" Nanako greeted him. She was kind of surprised that once of her cousin's boyfriends is calling.

"I'm fine Nanako-san and I hope that everything there is good as well?" Fuji asked. Nanako realized that she's in speaker phone.

"Hi Nanako-san!" she heard Atobe greeted. "Hello!" she answered back. "Is everything ok at the mansion? Is Ryoma-kun doing fine?" she added. There was long silence from the other line. She was glad she didn't gasped when Tezuka suddenly came on the line.

"That is actually that's the problem Nanako-san." Tezuka said. "Really? What happened?" Nanako asked. "Nanako-san, Genichirou here. Actually it all started with a photo…"

Genichirou told Nanako the whole story about Ryoma and the picture. After the long explanation, Nanako smiled sadly. "I see now…" she said. "What seems to bet he problem Nanako-san? Ryoma's really upset right now." Atobe asked with a tint of worry in his voice.

"Let's just say Ryoma still can't accept some facts regarding his relationship with Cassandra, facts which should be discussed by him. It is true that even though we're all cousins, Ryoma admired or rather loved Cassandra dearly than the rest of us." Nanako told them. Again, there was a long silence between them.

"So it's true that she's the only girl Ryoma ever loved." Fuji murmured. "Yes actually….since we have noticed that his indifference towards the opposite sex actually started when she left." Nanako told them. "But…." Atobe started but decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

"I know you're worried, not only for Ryoma but for the sake of your relationship as well but I guess you have to give him time to open up the topic with you." She added. "We understand Nanako-san. Thank you very much for the time." Tezuka said. "But…." Atobe started but Sanada cut him off. "Enough. Bye Nanako-san. Say hi for us to the rest." He said.

"No problem." Nanako said. They murmured their farewells and she heard the line was cut off. She sighed and gently placed the receiver down. She was about to go back to her room when her uncle Nanjirou spoke up. "I received a phone call…" he started. "Really uncle? From whom?" Nanako asked. There was a long paused before he sat up. Nanako realized the seriousness of his gaze.

"She's coming home…"

**Meanwhile…**

Ryoma hugged Karupin tightly as he started blankly at the setting sun. "Why did you leave, nee-chan? Am I not good enough to replace him?"

NOTES:

Atkinsons : Author of Introduction to Psychology

FS : Financial Status

PC : Personal Computer

Heroes : Game Title : " Heroes of Might and Magic"

A/N: ARGH! Damn you inner demons! What'd you think? Please review! Oh yeah…I need a BETA for this….anyone interested, e-mail me at love you guys! Next chappie…..well…just wait…..mwaheheheheheheh!


	2. Surprises!

Summary: It's not advisable to have four over-bearing semes to freak out. The fear of losing their super uke can lead them to doing crazy things…especially when the person who induced the fear called herself to verify it! ….

PLEASE REVIEW!

Note: "" for dialogs and _'' for thoughts and flashbacks _and '' for SF

TO:

RuByMoOn17: oh yeah! OT5 forever! I hope you won't get discouraged while reading the next chapters…

Buffyvh: Well actually this is not angst for the OT5, well probably at the start. I'll turn out ok as it continues! And don't worry, Ryoma will still be the ultimate uke

* * *

Hell week for Ryoma is now just a thing of the past… he already got his grades and was relieved that he's one of the chosen few who'll advance to the next year. Studying BS Management is a tough choice. Never in his 22 years of life had he felt so drained because of studying. None of his lovers new the true reason why he chose such course. He was only able to decide that field he'll be into after he has received a phone call from his Uncle Rick. _'He said I'll be the one to take over Echizen's shares in the company'_ Ryoma mused. He never realized his father could actually be an active member in their consolidated company. _'That baka oyaji'_ he added.

But not everything was going smoothly for him. He noticed that this past week his kois are a tad too sweet for him. They actually allowed him to be seme on Keigo for once. He was too caught up with school and the sudden change in their lovemaking pattern that he failed to notice. He noticed Tezuka giving him a lot of smiles lately, which he doesn't; Atobe who lent him his state-of-the-art video cam for his tennis practice; Fuji who was being less sadistic that usual and last but not the least, Sanada who cooked extra special breakfasts for him.

"I wonder what they're up to…" Ryoma mused as he kicked a stone off the pavement. He glanced at his watch, seeing that it's only 2 pm; he shrugged and entered a fast food store.

**Meanwhile…**

"Are you sure he hasn't noticed anything yet?" Atobe asked Fuji. "I don't know Keigo. That boy can be as dense as a brick sometimes." Fuji said. He stared at Atobe who was pacing back and fort in front of him. Tezuka was sitting by the veranda drinking his tea.

"You know guys, I don't think making him feel more loved would actually make him forget about Cassandra." Sanada suddenly blurted out. Tezuka sighed and nodded. "But he has to!" Atobe sighed in exasperation.

"Keigo, correct me if I'm wrong ok? This fear of losing Ryoma that you have actually means that you love him more than what sex usually requires, am I correct?" Fuji suddenly asked, hugging a purple pillow. Atobe was frozen on his feet. _'Do I really love him that much now?'_ he asked himself.

"Figures…" Fuji said with a triumphant smile on his face. Tezuka sighed again and said. "We all feel the same way Syusuke, we all do."

The phone rang before anyone else could respond to his statement.

"Moshi?" it was Sanada who picked up the phone.

"Good afternoon, may I speak with Echizen Ryoma?" a female spoke up on the other line.

"Gomen ne but he's still at school. May I know who's calling?" Sanada asked.

"Ah you must be one of his boyfriends! Hello! My name is Cassandra Errol, I'm Ryoma's cousin." The woman said. Sanada felt a chill ran up to his spine. _'It's she…'_

"Lemme guess…you must be Sanada-san?" Cassandra guessed waking Sanada back into reality. "Uh h-hai. I'm Sanada Genichirou." He replied. "Sugoi! Can you take down a message for me Sanada-kun?" Cassandra said cheerfully. "O-ok." Sanada stammered and took out a pen and paper. His kois we're just staring at him intently. All Sanada could do is write down her message and say yes.

"Oh I'm really excited to see Ma-chan and meet all of you as well! Thank you very much Sanada-kun!" Cassandra said. "No problem….Ms. Errol." Sanada replied politely. He felt his fingers turning cold while gripping the receiver.

"Ohh pooh! Don't call me Ms. Errol. You can call me Cassandra or Sandra or Cassy, ok?" she said. Her comment made Sanada swallow hard.

"Ok, Cassandra." He said. With this, Tezuka dropped his teacup and breaking it while Fuji suddenly sat up and gaped at Sanada. Atobe simply just went paler than usual.

"Good. See ya soon! Bye!" she said.

"Looking forward to it. Take care….bye." with that Sanada gently placed the receiver down the cradle.

"Tell me I heard incorrectly." Fuji abruptly stood up and gripped Sanada's hand tightly. Tezuka stood up. "N-no." Atobe murmured.

"She's coming for a visit. She'll be arriving this Friday." Sanada murmured with his eyes glued to piece of paper he's holding. "No way…" Atobe said in a hoarse voice. "I knew this would happen." Tezuka said. "She's not going to take Ryo-kun away…" Atobe whispered. Fuji just gave Atobe a sympathizing look. "Keigo…"

"I won't let her take Ryo-kun away from us! NEVER!" Atobe screamed and ran out of the room with tears in his eyes. Tezuka followed him without a word, leaving Sanada and Fuji still shocked.

**A few minutes later…**

"Tadaima!"

Ryoma bursts into their bedroom looking very cheerful. He stopped when he noticed his koibitos are staring at him hungrily.

"Wha-what happened?" Ryoma asked, kicking off his shoes and stripping off his socks. Ryoma shrugged when none of them replied. He proceeded to their gigantic walking closet to change.

"Senpai-tachi are creepy today." Ryoma told himself as he changed into his green boxers. He walked out of the closet and was surprised when a hand suddenly grasped his and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"What the—"Ryoma gasped before Tezuka's lips came down crushing upon his, capturing his slightly parted lips in a hot searing kiss. Ryoma clung to his buchou when he felt that their kiss is turning his knees into jelly. He made no protest when Tezuka carried him towards the bed.

'_Oh well, I'm glad I thought up of eating before going home' _Ryoma mused as the other three joined them in a passionately union.

**After a few hours…**

Ryoma lay exhausted and still panting after three rounds. It was quite unusual that his kois are quiet after sex. Atobe and Fuji usually stir things up for another round but now, he was quite surprised that it was Atobe who was holding on to him tightly while Fuji was playing with his hair quietly.

"What got into you guys? Some sex god possessed you or something?" Ryoma asked, hoping his senpai-tachi will get the joke. Atobe just quietly nuzzled in the crook of his neck making Ryoma shiver and close his eyes. "We just miss you, that's all." Fuji murmured. Ryoma can hear Tezuka shifting from his prone position beside Atobe. Ryoma opened his eyes and he saw all four pairs of eyes looking at him.

"What's the problem?" Ryoma asked, caressing Tezuka's face. Sanada took a deep breath. "Someone called in today looking for you." He said. Ryoma shifted his gaze to Sanada. "Really Gen-san? Who?" Ryoma asked. Fuji closed his eyes and gave him one of those smiles that made Ryoma realize he's just faking it.

"It was your Cassandra-nee-chan." Tezuka said. Ryoma's golden eyes widened in surprise upon hearing the news.

"No way!" he gasped. "You're playing me." He looked accusingly at his four lovers.

"You're wrong Ryoma. We're not playing you. She called earlier. She wants to let you know that…" Fuji started but his voice trailed off.

Ryoma's heart is beating so fast right now. "Wants me to know what?" Ryoma prompted. Sanada reached out and caressed Ryoma's face.

"She's coming home. She'll be visiting us this Friday." Sanada said gently, trying his best to hide the sadness in his voice.

"Oh god…" Ryoma whispered.

Atobe looked up and held Ryoma's gaze. The young man can't explain why his lovers are behaving this way. "Ryoma…" Atobe whispered. "What is it, Keigo-san?" Ryoma asked, still in a daze. His brain can seem to process the current behaviors of his boyfriends plus the fact that his beloved cousin is coming to see him at last.

"Aishiteru Ryoma." Atobe whispered against his lips waking Ryoma back into reality. Atobe never told him he loves him in that manner. Yes he says I love you but he usually screams it while their having sex when he's at the point of orgasm…not like this. Ryoma felt his heart swelling in happiness as he felt Keigo's lips on his own, sealing his confession with the sweetest kiss he's ever given to Ryoma. Tezuka, Fuji and Sanada just smiled seeing for the first time Atobe's real feelings towards their prodigy.

"I love you too, Keigo…"

* * *

A/N: ARGH! Damn you inner demons! I do love cliff-hangers…next chappie I'll finally unveil Cassandra and crossover part. Please review! Oh yeah….i need a BETA for this….anyone interested, e-mail me at love you guys! Next chappie…..well…just wait…..mwaheheheheheheh! 


	3. Welcome home

Summary: Today is the day that they are dreading for…Cassandra will be visiting and/or probably take Ryoma away. She then drops her bombs one by one, leaving the five of them flabbergasted….if not oh well let's just see how they deal with it..! Please review!.

**Ria Sakazaki**: hey guys! Please welcome buffyvh! She's my BETA! clapclapclap

PLEASE REVIEW!

Note: "" for dialogs and _'' for thoughts and flashbacks _and '' for SF

* * *

Ryoma has been like a child inside a candy store fort he past few days. The news of his cousin's return actually changed the young man's attitude, in turn making his lovers more worried than they already are. The news broke out on a Tuesday so the rest of the boys doubled their efforts to show Ryoma how much they loved and cared for him, hoping that it would make the young man stay.

Whenever Ryoma's not around, Atobe would openly voice out his hatred for Cassandra and that he will have her killed if ever she decides to take Ryoma with her. Fuji wholeheartedly agrees with him to the point that they started formulating plans on how to dispose Ryoma's so-called slutty wench for a cousin. Tezuka and Sanada, being the more logical than the other two, thwarted every plan they come up with. Inwardly they wished that Friday would never come, not that they would openly admit it.

Friday came swiftly and Ryoma is off to the airport to fetch Cassandra. He left his boyfriends at home, unwittingly leaving them to sulk, and in the case of Atobe and Fuji, formulate further plans.

"Maybe we can hire some goons that would get her car or taxi into a road accident so that she'll never arrive. I know people who can do it immediately!. There's still time." Atobe announced.

"Ingenious!" Fuji agreed.

"And manage to kill Ryo-kun as well?" Sanada spoke up. "Guys, don't you think you're assuming too much? Maybe Cassandra won't take Ryoma away. What if—"

"What if it's the other way around Gen-kun? Aren't you going to do something to prevent Ryoma from leaving?" Fuji snapped at him.

"True!" Atobe nodded in agreement.

"True love is supposed to be selfless…not selfish." Tezuka suddenly spoke up. Realization dawned upon Atobe and Fuji. Ever since the news about Cassandra's homecoming broke out, he became less vocal during their banters and became more persistent in making Ryoma feel he's loved.

"If Ryo-kun decides to be with Cassandra then there's nothing we can do about it anymore. If you truly love someone, let him go." Tezuka added while adjusting his glasses. He glanced outside, not wanting his lovers to see the sadness on his eyes.

"And if he returns to you he's yours for ever; but if he doesn't…" Sanada started.

"Screw with your philosophy Kunimitsu!" Atobe spat. "Don't be a hypocrite; you hate it as much as we do." He continued, glaring at Tezuka. "If I know you love Ryoma more than you love the rest of us." Atobe stopped, his voice faltering as dissolved into tears.

"Keigo…" Tezuka murmured. _'I do love him more than the rest of you Keigo. Don't think it's that easy for me.' _He added in his mind.

"You don't understand how I feel. How both Gen-kun and I feel. You've been with Ryoma for a long time…you have so many precious memories with him than we do when you were still in Seigaku. But what about me and Gen-kun? What about us? I tried to convince myself that our eight years together is enough but still it isn't! it will never be!" Atobe choked out as he sanked to his knees and sobbed. Sanada knelt next to him and soothed their distressed lover.

Fuji's cellphone rang, waking him up from the trance Atobe put him into. It was the first time he saw Atobe break down like this. Bringing his attention back to his cellphone, his eyes glinted as he was Ryoma's name flashing on the tiny screen.

"Yes Ryo-kun?" Fuji said, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"We're on our way. We'll be there in ten minutes." Ryoma's cheerful voice came into the line.

"Ok…take care. Tell Nee-chan to drive safely. Can't wait." Fuji replied.

"Ok bye….love you." Ryoma said right before the line went dead. Fuji smiled sadly upon hearing Ryoma's words. He turned his cellphone off and placed it inside his pocket.

"They'll be here in ten minutes. Come on now Keigo, I'll help you fix yourself up." Fuji said gently as he helped Atobe up to his feet. "If Ryoma decides to leave, you have to look your best so that he'll see what he will be missing once he decides to leave." Fuji said, hoping his words would comfort Atobe's aching heart. As the two of them disappeared into the bathroom, Genichirou sighed and went to check his face in the mirror.

"You know Syusuke's right." Sanada said while combing his hair. Tezuka smiled a little and started for the door.

"Let's go Gen-kun." He said and held his hand out to his tanned lover. Sanada smiled at him and took his hands.

"We'll be downstairs Syusuke, Keigo. Don't take too long." Sanada called out as he and Tezuka went out the doors hand in hand.

**Meanwhile…**

"Nee-chan…"

"Hmmm?"

"I hope I didn't disappoint you." Ryoma said.

A pair of silver-blue eyes blinked, although their steady gaze never left the road ahead. "What are you trying to say Ma-chan?"

"You all must've been expecting me to bring up an heir for the ERKAECHIKO third generation." Ryoma said, eyeing the beautiful woman in the drive seat. Cassandra gave Ryoma an amused glance before returning her focus on the road once again. She raked her fingers through long brown wavy hair before sighed deeply.

"Tell me….are you happy with them?" she asked as they turned onto the road that leads towards the mansion.

"Yes…to be honest, I've never been happier."

**Meanwhile…**

Fuji, Tezuka and Sanada are seated side by side on the sofa, while Atobe paced back and forth in front of them.

"Keigo, please take a seat. You're making us dizzy." Sanada commented. Atobe was completely ignoring him.

"How can you continue sitting so relaxed?" he asked.

"Ha! Do you think we're relaxed?" Fuji snorted. "Look at Kunimitsu, his knuckles will jump out if his hands if he continues clenching his fists like that. Look at Gen-kun, he kept glancing back and forth from the door to the window. So tell us now who's relaxed." Fuji said. He too was anxious as hell. He had been crossing and un-crossing his legs every five seconds.

'_What does she look like? Is she really beautiful from the way Ryo-kun described her?'_ Fuji kept asking himself. He woke up from his reverie when the maid spoke up. "They're here, Keigo-sama." She said. With that, they heard the sounds of a car engine died down.

"Here we go." Sanada sighed and stood up. He fixed himself a cheery smile.

"Keigo! Syusuke! Genichirou! Kunimitsu! We're here!" They heard Ryoma's voice the moment the butler opened the door.

"It's ok, Keigo." Fuji whispered into Atobe's ear as the sounds of the footsteps grew louder. They heard a woman giggle. Atobe took a deep breath just as Ryoma showed up in the huge living room.

"Okaeri nasai, Cassandra-san." The four of them bowed in greeting.

"Why you're such fine gentlemen." They heard a woman spoke up.

"This is my cousin, Cassandra Errol. Nee-chan, these are my boyfriends." Ryoma said, introducing his companion.

Their breaths caught up in their throats when they looked up at the woman next to Ryoma. She had waist length wavy chestnut hair, a pair of silvery-blue eyes that seem to twinkle and a perfect, beautiful face wearing the sweetest smile in the world.

"Nice meeting you." Cassandra bowed down.

It took a couple of minutes before anyone in the room reacted. They woke up from the daze when Ryoma spoke up.

"See now Nee-chan. I told you I have all the reasons to be jealous. You had them bewildered." He said and crossed his arms across his chest while pouting at his lovers. The gloomy aura was lifted when Cassandra broke into a fit of laughter.

"You shouldn't joke like that Ryoma-san." The butler said worriedly.

"Nah it's ok." Cassandra said while flashing them a grin. It was Tezuka who was back to his normal self first.

"Nice meeting you Cassandra-san. I'm Tezuka Kunimitsu." Tezuka stepped forward and Cassandra took his offered hand for a shake. "I see, so you're Ryoma's beloved buchou am I right?" Cassandra asked. Ryoma gave Tezuka a reassuring smile. "The one and only." Tezuka replied with a smile.

Fuji stepped forward as well, smiling at Cassandra with his open eyes for once

. "I'm Fuji Syusuke. It's a pleasure meeting you at last." The tensai said and grasped Cassandra's hand. He can feel the calluses on her palm and wondered how she got them. _'Errol? She sounds and looks very familiar.'_ Syusuke added in his mind.

"Saa, you must be the tennis tensai my cousin was rambling about." She said. With that Ryoma looked away with an obvious blush on his face. He looked so adorable in that state.

"Really? He said that?" Fuji asked. "Uhmm." Fuji gave Ryoma an amused glance.

"I'm Sanada Genichirou. It's my honor to meet such a beautiful woman such as yourself." He said, taking her hand and giving it as firm shake. "Now I think you're giving Ma-chan more reasons to be jealous by saying that." She said with a sweet smile. Before they could process what she said, she suddenly examined Sanada's hands.

"What a firm grip you have, just like the one needed to grip a sword." Cassandra remarked. Sanada stared at her in wonder. "Aherm…"

Atobe cleared his throat. They all stared at him. "My turn." He said. He stepped forward with his usual air of arrogance and held his hand to Cassandra.

"I'm Atobe Keigo, nice to meet you Cassandra-san." He said. Cassandra took his hands and shook it. "Of course, who wouldn't know the great heir of the Atobe Industries? I've met your mother once and made business with her way back. It is one of the best business deals I've made." She said. Atobe was mildly surprised. "Really?" he asked. "Uhmmm." Cassandra nodded.

"Why don't we take a seat? I know that long plane hours can really be tiring." Atobe said, gesturing them to sit down. "Why thank you." Cassandra said and took a seat in front of them. Ryoma chose to sit with his koibitos which actually surprised them a bit. "I'm kinda used to traveling. I actually flew to Brazil before flying here." She said. "You must be very tired." Fuji commented. Cassandra smiled at him. "I'm ok. Seeing Ryoma in such a happy state melts my fatigue away." The maid came in and poured them tea. Cassandra graciously thanked her before sipping some.

"To be honest Cassandra-san, you're face and name is really familiar." Fuji added. It seemed like Tezuka and Sanada were content in sitting next to Ryoma and listening to them.

"It's because she is famous." Ryoma suddenly chirped, before munching his biscuit.

"Ma-chan…" Cassandra muttered, giving her cousin a knowing glance.

"Really?" Atobe asked, raising an eyebrow, suddenly interrested.

"Hey guys, are you ok? You've been rambling on and on about her two months ago, just after the Wimbledon Open." Ryoma said while sipping his tea. Upon hearing this Tezuka actually choked his tea. "Kunimitsu!" Ryoma gasped. He took a napkin and started to help Tezuka clean himself. Cassandra's smile grew bigger upon seeing her cousin's concern for his boyfriend.

"Awww soo cute…" she said. Ryoma blushed heavily. "Nee-chan!" he protested. Tezuka cleared his throat. "Don't tell me you're THAT Cassandra." Atobe gasped. She took another sip from her teacup then nodded. "Oh shit….Cassandra Errol, the five-time Grand Slam Champion is inside this very house with us having tea!" The four of them, Tezuka, Atobe, Sanada and Fuji suddenly gasped, staring at Cassandra in disbelief.

"Mmm...Nothing can ever beat a nice whiff of a chamomile tea, right?" Cassandra said with a big grin.

* * *

**NOTES:**

Grand Slam Champion: A title given to the winner of all four grand slam tennis opens in the world, the Australian Open, US Open, French Open and the Wimbledon or All England Open.

ERKAECHIKO: er go: Errol-Kanou-Echizen-Kobayashi

A/N: ARGH! Damn you inner demons! I do love cliff-hangers…next chappie I'll fix some problems with our boys and reveal the main plot of this story….hopefully. Please review! Oh yeah….THANK YOU **buffyvh** for being my BETA!


	4. Who knew?

hahahhahhaha...sorry for the long delay. my beta's having some tech problems so this is not edited. i made major revisions on the story... too bad i already finished 3 chapters ahead. anyway...please review! thanks!

Vic: let me know if you're up and running once again. miss ya!

PLEASE REVIEW!

Note: "" for dialogs and _'' for thoughts and flashbacks _and '' for SF

I may shift from Cassandra to Cassy….for the sole reason that Cassandra is too long to type.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me!" Atobe cried in surprise.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Fuji turned accusingly to Ryoma.

"Did you ask?" the youngest snapped back.

"No wonder why you looked so familiar." Tezuka said.

"And very much adept into describing grips." Sanada added.

"Come on guys, loosen up. I didn't come here for me." Cassandra said with a smile.

"Cassandra Errol, World's No. 1 in Women's Tennis…in my house…" Atobe kept muttering to himself.

"Ohh Inui's gonna be so jealous!" Fuji suddenly blurted out.

"Inui-senpai?" Ryoma raised an eyebrow.

"He's a fan Ryoma." Fuji told him.

Cassandra let out a laugh. Their conversation started off in the right direction. They ate lunch and went out to the garden to continue their discussion.

"Well I'm glad my real identity is already out. Now, tell me about yourselves and this relationship." Cassandra said. This got the attention of the young men in front of her.

"You knew about us?" Sanada asked. Ryoma never mentioned anything to them about opening this sensitive topic to anyone else. They all agreed that it needs full confirmation from all five of them whether they're going to tell someone else about their relationship. All four pair of eyes stared at Ryoma.

"Don't look at me. I didn't say anything! Not a single word! Promise!" Ryoma said defensively.

"But who did?" Atobe hissed.

Cassandra knew this was going to happen.

"He didn't say anything. Actually, he was equally shocked when I told him that I already knew about you guys." She said while raking a hand through her hair.

"Would you mind if I ask who told you?" Tezuka asked ever so politely.

"No problem…" she waved a hand. All eyes are on her as of this moment. "It was Aunt Rinko."

"MOM!" Ryoma gasped in disbelief. He figured it was his father to drop the bomb but never his mother. He trusted that she was never the gossip-type of person.

"Yes." Cassandra confirmed, smiling at the memory that flashed through her mind.

"But how? They haven't said anything to me." Ryoma sat up indignantly. "Because the Circle decided not to." Cassandra told them.

"Circle?" The other four asked in unison.

"Ok…there must've been things that Ryoma forgot to tell you over the years. Don't tell me you haven't told them yet." Cassandra raised her eyebrow at Ryoma.

"How am I supposed to remember? There's tennis, then school, then tennis again, them, then college…" Ryoma rapt.

"I'm confused. Is there something that you should've told us Ryo-kun?" Fuji asked Ryoma. "Ok I'll explain." Cassandra said and took a deep breath.

"When I said Circle, I'm pertaining to the private organization that our parents out up, the ERKAECHIKO Circle. This group is composed of five big names in the world of Tennis and Soccer especially way back in the eighties." Cassandra started. Everybody was listening intently to her.

"It was founded by my Uncles Patrick Errol, Daisuke Kanou, Kaede Kobayashi and my baka oyaji." Ryoma added.

"Nanjirou-san?" Sanada asked.

"Yup." Ryoma nodded.

"Wait. Patrick Errol and Kaede Kobayashi, you mean Nanjirou Echizen's greatest rivals?" Fuji asked.

" uhuh." Cassy nodded.

" hmmm…and Daisuke Kanou, the father of the two best soccer players of Japan." Atobe added.

"At first it was just a secret club, you know, fathers planning to mold their children's future for them. With hard work they started putting up sports-oriented companies. They, together with their wives became the First Generation of ERKAECHIKO. Ryoma and I, together with Nanako, Kyosuke, Saisuke, Kotaro and Hatoko became the Second Generation and upon finishing college we will soon ascend to take over our parent's places on the corporate ladder." She explained.

"And I thought your father was just a lazy old bum." Fuji told Ryoma.

"Uncle Jirou might appear lazy to everyone but he handles business perfectly." Cassandra defended.

"It's useless Syusuke. She's a Nanjirou-fan forever." Ryoma told Fuji.

"Really?"

"Ok…back to the topic. Why did the Circle decided not to inform us that they already knew?" Tezuka asked.

"Yeah." Sanada added.

"Because I don't want you to get exposed yet. The media's eyes are upon us. You wouldn't want to have your relationship publicized without your consent." Cassandra answered. The maid came back to refill their tea.

"So what happens now?"

Cassandra sighed. "We're ok with it." Their eyes widened in surprise.

"REALLY!" they asked in unison. The woman just shrugged. She took one last sip and smiled Ryoma.

"Ne Ma-chan…"

"Yes Nee-chan?"

"Would you mind if I talk to them for a few minutes? There is something that I would like to discuss with your boyfriends privately. Would that be ok?" Cassandra said. Ryoma eyed his cousin suspiciously.

"Is there something that I should know about?" he asked, golden eyes glinted in slight malice.

"Maybe later…after I've finished talking to them." Cassandra smiled.

Ryoma stood up reluctantly. He turned to his lovers and said, "If she says anything bad to you, tell me. I'll tell Uncle Rick." Ryoma said. Atobe smiled at him nervously.

"Don't worry."

"And…"

"Don't worry Ma-chan…I think they'll tell you everything after I'm done speaking with them."

"O-ok. I'll be in the living room if you need me." With this, Ryoma stood up and left.

Silence fell upon them for a few minutes and tension kept increasing.

"Cassandra…" Fuji started.

"Don't worry Fuji-kun. Nanako already told me." She said with a small smile. Atobe can't help but stare at her.

"So you already knew…" Sanada started, "about our worries regarding Ryoma."

"Yes. I guess he told you that I'm the only girl he ever loved and that disturbed you." Cassy said, eyeing them carefully.

"To be honest with you, yes. Forgive us Cassandra-san but we can't seem to accept the fact that you're return might be the cause of Ryoma's departure form the relationship." Fuji told her.

"And for that we tried to formulate plans to delay or cancel our visit. Forgive us." Atobe added.

Cassy sighed and shifted in her seat. "I suspected that. I suspected it from the time Nanako called me up to beg that I cancel my visit."

"She did that?"

"Yes. I guess she realized that my return might jeopardize Ryoma's feelings and he'll eventually choose me over you." She replied. The gentle wind blew softly, indulging them with the sweet scent of the flowers as they grew silent for a while.

"I knew about Ryoma's feelings about me ever since we were kids. That is why when I decided to leave; I was torn deep inside because I know I'll be breaking his heart. Ryoma told me earlier that he finally realized how he truly felt about me." Cassy stated. Atobe felt his heartbeat quicken. Cassy can notice the sad expression on their faces.

"He told me that his love for me is pure like the love of a child for his mother."

With this the boys' facial reaction changed.

"And I for him as well. You know, having fathers that are rivals in tennis actually left the two of us alone most of the time. Dad and Uncle Jirou are more interested in who's going to get the first point in they famous one-set matches than in taking care of us so I was the one who looked after Ryoma ever since he was a baby. I loved him more than a cousin should be loved or how a brother should be loved. I loved him like he was my own." Cassy said and stood up. She sat between the four men and held their hands.

"And with this unspoken status that I have, I give you my trust. Promise me that you will love him as much as I do or if you can, more than what I could give him. I entrust to you his life." Cassy told them with tears glistening in her eyes. Happiness filled their hearts upon hearing what Cassandra has to say.

"Don't worry Cassandra. We promise we'll take care of him. We'll love him with all of our hearts." Atobe told her, tears welling up his eyes as well. His prayers have been heard. Ryoma will stay with them forever.

"Now I'm not pressuring you. If ever the time may come that you don't feel that love for him anymore, just return him to me and I'll take him. As much as possible, return him whole." She added.

"Don't worry Cassandra. We'll do our best not to hurt Ryo-kun." Tezuka assured her. Cassandra wiped her tears and hugged her new friends.

"Don't hurt him ok?" she said. "We promise." Sanada told her. They broke off their hug with smiles on their faces. "Oh by the way….don't call me Cassandra anymore. Call me Cassy, ok?"

"Ok."

"Now Ma-chan, you can now get out. Must be hard crouching like that behind the begonias." Cassy said. The four gasped in surprise when a very pouty Ryoma appeared behind the flowers.

"Ryo-kun…" They muttered. Ryoma just gave them a deadly glare.

"Now, now Ma-chan don't be like that. I know that there is some explaining to do so if you'll excuse me, I'll just get some things from the car ok?" Cassy said as she slowly walked away from them.

"C-Cassy!" Atobe yelled, hoping she'd stay while they explain.

"Good luck boys!" With this she disappeared from the garden. Silence befalls amongst them as Ryoma stared.

"Look Ryo-kun…" Atobe started.

"I can't believe that you doubted me." Ryoma murmured.

"We're sorry Ryo-kun. But you didn't quite clear some things with us." Sanada said. Ryoma crossed his arms across his chest, waiting for them to explain.

"You told us that she's the only girl you've ever loved…" Atobe started.

"… and you left us hanging after you said that so we figured you still love her…" Fuji added.

"…and you never opened anything else to us." Sanada finished.

"We're really sorry Ryo-kun. Please forgive us." Tezuka said. Ryoma can clearly see in their eyes that they're sorry. He took a deep breath.

"Baka senpai-tachi should go back to school and study English again. What a shame." Ryoma suddenly said.

"N-nani?"

"I said you should go back to school and study your English again." Ryoma repeated.

"Ryo-kun, you're confusing us." Sanada told him.

"I said she's the only girl I've ever LOVED…love with an "ed". Don't you know what's that suppose to mean?" Ryoma said haughtily. It took a few minutes before they could recover until one by one they embraced Ryoma tightly.

"We're sorry Ryoma. It was stupid of us to assume." Tezuka said.

"Ne buchou... Kunimitsu…mada mada dane! Nee-chan said they're ok with us but I don't think she's already used to seeing guys hug like this and all." Ryoma protested. They suddenly broke off realizing the effect of Ryoma's words.

"You're right." Sanada said.

"Ohh pooh! I've seen more than that!" Cassy suddenly spoke behind them with a silly grin on her face.

"That's one hell of a cousin you have Ryo-kun." Atobe said while kissing him on the cheeks.

"Yeah…..she is…" Ryoma replied.

* * *

NOTES:

Kyosuke Kanou: Main Character of Striker: Hungry Heart. He was a punk turned into a soccer star. His main rival is his brother who became a very big soccer star before he did thus paving a rocky road for Kyosuke to take. Spoiler Alert! he became a Special Appointed Reserve player for the Japanese Soccer Team and was recruited as the Forward/Striker for Amsterdam in his 3rd yr, an achievement his older brother never had. Also it appears in the OAV that Kyosuke is an adopted child.

Saisuke Kanou: older brother of Kyosuke. He's the star player from a rival school. His achievement became a big hurdle for Kyosuke and actually forced his little brother to quit soccer. During the series, he was the current Forward/Striker for the renowned AC Milan.

Daisuke Kanou: their dad? Huh! I just made up the first name…

Kaede Kobayashi: actualization of Hatoko and Kotaru Koyabayashi's dad from Angelic Layer…I made the first name up too…Mwahehehehehehehehe!

A/N: ARGH! Damn you inner demons! I do love cliff-hangers…last chappie I said I'm fix some of the boys' problems and reveal the main plot and I added hopefully…well I wasn't able to do the last part. Gomen ne! I'll try to do it next chappie ok? Please review!


	5. NANI!

Summary: Cassy's not the slut cousin anymore when she, herself erased their fears. Now…she's like a missile-launcher, dropping news like bombs. Here lies the question…will they be able to survive without losing face after the assault? Please review!

A/N: Hey…I've suffered a serious mental block so there will be major revisions on the story. Epiphany hit me and made me realize I'm losing control of the direction of the story. TT so much for the 5 chapters that I've already finished.

Note: "" for dialogs and _'' for thoughts and flashbacks _and '' for SF

It wasn't long before they felt really comfortable with Cassy. It was very easy to get along with her especially since she has one or two things in common with each of the boys. Now they know why Ryoma fell in love with her. Tezuka's lips curved up a little, seeing how his lovers feel at ease talking to her.

"…and he is the one who always hands Taka-kun a racket so that he would break the line and clear the path for him." Fuji said animatedly. Cassy was giggling non-stop from their stories."There's no way I'm going to drink Inui-sempai's yucky juice." Ryoma snorted.  
"Oh yeah. Yanagi brought some to some and I took a sip. They said I collapsed or something." Sanada added.  
"It couldn't be that bad if Fuji-kun likes it." She said. Fuji smiled sweetly at her while the rest were making faces.  
"You're talking about Syusuke right?"  
"His intestines are as thick as alligator hide and besides, he's a sadistic, smiling creep." Ryoma added. Upon hearing, Fuji lips pouted playfully. Ryoma reached in and kissed his cheek.  
"There, there…"  
"Aww that's sweet. Seems like Fuji-kun's been doing all the fun stuff." Cassy said.  
"At the expense of others, yes." Sanada grunted.  
"Gen-kun and Kunimitsu-kun here on the other hand are walking blocks of ice…difference is both of them are still capable of having a hard-on despite their reputation." Fuji pointed out. The two gave him death glares while he smiled back at them. Cassy snorted.  
"Of course as leaders you do have to put on a stony exterior most of the time." She said. She then turned to look at Atobe.  
"And how are you as a captain, Atobe-kun?"

"Well…"

"He's a bossy prick that adores being called Ore-sama all the time." Ryoma cut in. Atobe glared at him.  
"Shush Ryo-kun. Remember you're just my protégée."  
"Protégée?" she asked.  
"He's our understudy in a crash-course called, "How to Annoy Stoic Lovers". He's a fast learning basing on how often he applies his lessons to these two ice blocks here." Atobe replied with a haughty smile.

Tezuka, on the other hand was content in listening to their conversation. He has been noting the slight changes on his lovers' behaviors especially towards the opposite sex. But what amazed him most was how Cassy can get Ryoma to smile genuinely. It seemed like she has brought back a lost part of his childhood. He silently adored the sparkles on his eyes, his cheekbones that became more prominent due to smiling a lot and most especially, his lips that seemed to curve up all the time. To him, Ryoma looked like an angel, with halo and all, at of this moment. He sighed in content, in turn catching Cassy's attention.

"You know, when Aunt Riko dropped the news about the five of you, only two gave out violent reactions." Cassy said. They all turned to her.

"Really? How come?" Ryoma asked.  
"I thought you said you were ok with it." Sanada added."Actually, when I first heard the news I was shock then just a few seconds I told myself, well as long as Ma-chan is happy. Almost all of us have the same reaction…well except from Kyosuke and Saisuke." She said.  
"Well…the damage is done. We can't do anything about it." Fuji sighed and slumped back.  
"If you only knew the reason why they reacted that way…" Cassy remarked.  
"Why?" Ryoma asked. The look on Cassandra's face intrigued him.  
"Saisuke-nii-san first, the first thing he asked upon hearing the news was…Is Ryoma the uke?" Cassy casually said. Upon hearing this Atobe choked the tea he's drinking.

"NANI!" they all blurted out.

"And Uncle Jirou, being the man that he is just snickered and said yes. He told us that you're the ultimate uke and that made Saisuke mad. He said that you should be given the chance to be seme and all is fair in love and in war blah blah blah." She continued.

Ryoma silently hit epiphany that moment. At least someone understands his frustrations. _'I have to send a Thank You note to Saisuke-nii-san'_ Ryoma added in his mind.

"But we did allow you to be seme on me last week…you shouldn't be complaining." Keigo snapped at Ryoma.  
"Well once is not enough. Just as Saisuke-nii-san said, all is fair in love—"  
"But you look soo adorable being uke." The tensai teased. All Sanada and Tezuka could do is sigh. Cassy's laughter rang across the living room. The boys stopped bantering to stare at their laughing nee-san.

"What's so funny?" Ryoma glared at his cousin.

"You guys look soo cute." Cassy said, getting control over her laughter.  
"What about Kyosuke?" Tezuka suddenly spoke up.  
Cassy's laughter died down as she fixed herself a smile. "Kyosuke was mad…no….raving when he heard the news. " Cassy said.

_Flashback_

"_FIVESOME!" Kyosuke cried as he raked his orange hair with one hand._

"_Interesting isn't it? Imagine Ryoma with four over-bearing, handsome semes. I can't imagine what happens every night inside the mansion." Nanjirou snickered. Patrick sighed and gave his nephew an amused glance._

"_It's quite unusual that you're mad given that—"_

"_I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT BRAT BEAT ME!" Kyosuke screamed. Everyone inside the room exploded in hysterical laughter._

_End of Flashback_

"How come? Did we offend him that much?" Atobe asked, getting irritated.  
"A little." Cassy snickered.  
"Come on Nee-san. Stop giggling and tell us why." Sanada said impatiently.

Cassy reached inside her purse and brought out a picture. She handed it to Ryoma who in turn stared in bewilderment.

"Lemme look!" Fuji inched closer to Ryoma. The three other guys squeezed in to take a look.

"KYO-NII-SAN GAY!" Ryoma cried in disbelief glancing back and forth from the photo to Cassy.

A/N: mwaheheheheheheh….short ne? I'm not in the writing mood these days… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!


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